How the internal links in a topical map should work

Internal links turn a topical map from a list of pages into one connected subject. They tell readers where to go next, and they tell search engines which pages matter most. This is part three of our series on topical maps, based on the work of Koray Tugberk Gubur. It covers which way links point, what their words say, and when to add them.

Which way should internal links point? #

Internal links in a topical map point from the outer section towards the core, and between pages in the same group. Each group's main page links to every page in its group, and each of those pages links back. A link that crosses to another group needs a clear reason a reader would follow.

Bridges between topics #

Koray calls a link that joins two related topics a contextual bridge. It works when the sentence around the link explains why the next page follows. In his view, links without such a bridge cannot pass relevance from one page to the next, so they do little for the map. Our glossary has a short definition of an internal link.

How many internal links does a page need? #

A page needs only a few internal links in its main text, each placed where the reader would want the next page. In one of Koray's case studies, each page had about ten links in all. Only three of them sat in the main content, chosen for the reader's search intent. The rest sat in menus.

Fewer, better links #

That case study had no header or footer menu at all. The sidebar listed only five recent posts. So almost every useful link was one a writer placed by hand, inside a sentence, with words that matched the next page. It is a good model for a small blog.

What should the link words say? #

The link words, called anchor text, should name the page they open, in the words a reader would use. Koray adjusted both the anchor text and the sentence around it to the reader's search intent. Avoid "click here", and avoid using the same words for two different pages, which confuses readers.

A good link and a weak one #

Compare two links to the same guide. "Read more here" tells nobody what opens. "Our guide to building a topical map" tells the reader and the search engine exactly what the next page covers.

When should I add internal links? #

Add each internal link as soon as the page it points to exists. When you publish a new page, go back to older pages that mention its topic and link them to it. Koray does this after every new article, because many links could not exist when the older pages first went live.

Links that wait for a page #

Koray notes that some older articles could not link to a page that did not exist yet. So each time he publishes, he checks for those missing links and adds them. On this blog we do the same. For example, part one of this series links forward to the later parts.

Steve Toth makes a related point for AI search. He links glossary pages to alternatives pages, and those to comparison pages, so each step leads to the next (Surfer Academy talk, January 2026).

Read Koray's own work #

Both case studies below are on Koray Tugberk Gubur's own site, Holistic SEO.

Topical Authority SEO case studyKoray's case study of topical authority, with his linking, publishing order and coverage in detail.www.holisticseo.digital

How to expand a topical mapKoray on source context, contextual bridges and the core and outer sections of a topical map.www.holisticseo.digital

See every term in our glossary